Azula
Azula Edit Comments7kTalk 7,890PAGES ON THIS WIKI This article is about the character in the series. For the character in the film, see Azula. For the character in the video games, see Azula (games). "Well what choice do I have? Trust is for fools! Fear is the only reliable way. Even you fear me." — Azula to a hallucination of her mother in "Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno". Azula Biographical information Nationality Fire Nation Capital, Fire Nation Ethnicity Fire Nation Age 14 (in Avatar: The Last Airbender) 15-16 (The Promise and The Search)1 Born 86 ASC Reign Late spring 100 ASC (as Earth Queen) Predecessor Kuei (as Earth King) Long Feng (as Head of the Dai Li) Successor Ozai (as Ruler of the Earth Kingdom) Unnamed Dai Li representative (as Head of the Dai Li) Physical description Gender Female Hair color Black Personal information Allies Fire Nation, Ozai, Mai (formerly), Ty Lee (formerly), Zuko (formerly), Dai Li (formerly), Ursa, Iroh (formerly), Lo and Li (formerly), Fire Nation military (formerly) Enemies Team Avatar, Zuko, Iroh, Mai, Ty Lee, Kuei, Long Feng, Kyoshi Warriors, Earth Kingdom, Water Tribe, more... Weapon of choice Fire, lightning Fighting style(s) Firebending Chronological and political information Position Former Crown Princess of the Fire Nation Former Head of the Dai Li Firebending master Mental health patient (formerly) Former Princess Regent (overthrown by Zuko before her coronation) Affiliation Fire Nation Fire Nation Royal Family Dai Li (formerly) First appearance "The Storm" (flashback only) "The Siege of the North, Part 2" (actual) "The Avatar State" (speaking role) Last appearance The Search Part 1 Voiced by Grey DeLisle show More about Azula Image gallery (120)Azula was the princess of the Fire Nation, daughter of Fire Lord Ozai and Princess Ursa, and younger sister of her archenemy Zuko. She was a key adversary of Team Avatar,2 chasing Avatar Aang and her banished brother far across the Earth Kingdom accompanied by her two best friends Mai and Ty Lee. A firebending prodigy, Azula was sadistic, manipulative, and obsessed with power. She was a skilled strategist who orchestrated the coup over the Earth Kingdom capital Ba Sing Se,34 and halted the invasion on the Day of Black Sun.5 Azula harbored deep mental instabilities, believing her mother loved Zuko more than her.6 Raised by her father in an environment without a mother-figure, Azula had to be nothing less than perfect in her father's eyes. After the betrayal of her two closest friends Mai and Ty Lee, these instabilities were brought up to the surface.7 Upon the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Azula was soon to be crowned Fire Lord;8 however, her defeat at the hands of her brother Zuko and Katara caused her to suffer a complete mental breakdown.9 Following her emotional breakdown, she was put in a mental health institution to recover, and eventually joined Team Avatar on their search for Ursa. Contents hide 1 History 1.1 Background 1.2 Book One: Water 1.3 Book Two: Earth 1.4 Book Three: Fire 1.5 After the Hundred Year War 2 Personality 2.1 Psychosis 3 Abilities 3.1 Firebending 3.2 Other skills 4 Relationships 5 Relatives 6 Appearances 6.1 Avatar: The Last Airbender 6.1.1 Book One: Water (水) 6.1.2 Book Two: Earth (土) 6.1.3 Book Three: Fire (火) 6.2 Avatar Comics 6.2.1 Book Two: Earth (土) 6.2.2 Book Three: Fire (火) 6.3 The Promise trilogy 6.4 The Search trilogy 7 Trivia 8 Notes 9 References 10 Comments History Edit Background Edit Even as a young child, Azula exhibited a duplicitous and cunning streak, as shown when she manipulated her mother to get her way. Princess Azula was born to Prince Ozai and Princess Ursa about two years after her brother, Prince Zuko. She was named after her paternal grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon.10 Azula grew up in the riches, the splendor, and the privileges of royalty in the Fire Nation. Her sharp wits and the fact that she was a firebending prodigy gained her great attention and acclaim, which quickly made her Ozai's favorite child.11 Her father began raising her as his true heir from an early stage, taking her into his confidence and educating her in politics, while on the other hand neglecting Zuko. She later attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, where she met Mai and Ty Lee, two daughters of Fire Nation noblemen.12 Even when she was only nine years old, Azula displayed her natural talents, along with her tendency for malice and perfection. When Ty Lee succeeded in performing a cartwheel after Azula had failed while attempting to do her own, Azula responded by shoving her friend to the ground, out of jealousy, and laughing gleefully. When she saw nine-year-old Mai attempting to hide her crush on her brother Zuko, Azula used her acting and cunning to convince her mother to make Zuko play with them. During their game, she proceeded to place an apple on Mai's head and set it on fire, forcing Zuko to tackle Mai into a fountain to put out the fire. She found great pleasure in embarrassing the two of them.10 A true tactician, Azula desired power from a young age, suggesting that her father would make a better Fire Lord than the heir apparent, her uncle, Iroh. She was shown ablazing a doll that her uncle had sent her as a gift from the Earth Kingdom. Not long after this, her cousin Lu Ten was dead, causing Iroh to abandon his legendary six-hundred-day siege at Ba Sing Se, which in turn prompted Azula to calls him "a quitter and a loser". She even showed some slight disrespect to her grandfather as when she was told to call him "Fire Lord Azulon", she responded with, "Can't we just call him grandfather? He's not exactly the powerful firebender he used to be".10 Azula sadistically relishing the sight of her father burning her brother's face during their Agni Kai. Shortly after receiving this news, Azula and the rest of her family went before Fire Lord Azulon, and she put on a spectacular display of her firebending prowess. Interestingly, at this early age she was not able to bend her trademark blue flames, instead using regular orange, red or yellow ones. She then smugly watched Zuko try the same performance and fail. When Azulon orders everyone except Ozai out of the room, Azula grabbed her brother and hid behind the curtains. From there, she watched her father request that he be made Fire Lord instead of Iroh. When Zuko fled in fear from the Fire Lord's anger, Azula stayed to watch with amusement. Azula then 'supposedly' heard her grandfather sentence her brother to death, a fact that she wasted no time in gleefully reporting to the brother in question. She taunted him until her mother angrily pulled her away for a private talk. A short time later, Azula played with the knife that Zuko had received from Iroh, and coolly announced that their grandfather had passed away and their mother had vanished. Soon after that, she watched her father's coronation with glee.10 No love developed between her and Zuko throughout the next few years, as Ozai apparently began to favor her more and more over her brother during this period. Azula, alongside Iroh and Zhao, watched Zuko's Agni Kai with his father. When Ozai burned her brother's face, she smiled smugly in triumph, along with Zhao.13 When Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation, Azula officially became Ozai's heir. For the next three years, she would continue her relentless training in firebending, strategy, and combat, until she refined herself enough to serve her father. By this time, her firebending advanced to the level where her fire was blue and she could create lightning thus increasing her overall bending power and intensity, making her a formidable prodigy. Book One: Water Edit Shortly after Zhao's failed siege on the Northern Water Tribe, Azula was summoned by her father to his throne room. As she knelt before Fire Lord Ozai, he commented that Zuko was a failure and Iroh was a traitor. He charged her with a mission: to find and capture her uncle and brother.14 Book Two: Earth Edit Main article: History of Azula (Spring 100 ASC) Book Three: Fire Edit Main article: History of Azula (Summer 100 ASC) After the Hundred Year War Edit Azula agreeing to help Zuko extract information from Ozai. After her Agni Kai with Zuko and subsequent mental breakdown, Azula was transferred to a mental health facility on a nearby island, where she was continuously monitored.11 About a year later, she was visited by her brother, who told her that he had consulted with Ozai numerous times and had tried to get information about Ursa's whereabouts, though to no avail. Answering his request for help, Azula said that she needed nothing in return for her assistance, as the mere knowledge of being of service to the Fire Lord would be enough satisfaction, stating that she had been wondering as well what exactly happened to their mother all those years ago.15 She managed to coax the needed information about Ursa's whereabouts from Ozai. However, unlike her previous statement that she did not want anything in return, she requested to be released and allowed to accompany Zuko on his quest for their mother, unbound and with dignity. Her request was met, though when she showed herself to Team Avatar, she was immediately attacked. She easily dodged their attacks, and proceeded to taunt and insult Sokka. The tension between the two rose and led to a minor scuffle, during which Azula ended up zapping him with her lightning. The rest of the team immediately intervened and immobilized her with their bending. Upon her release, she haughtily stated that they should all just stay away from her.16 Personality Edit "Almost perfect; one hair out of place." "Almost isn't good enough!" ―Lo and Li and Azula about her training. Azula relentlessly drilled herself toward perfection and settled for nothing less from herself or those who serve her.17 She believed that power and domination are what makes a person strong. She had absolute confidence in her "divine right to rule" which she believed she was born with.4 She had neither pity nor mercy toward those she marked as treasonous or inferior. As one who wanted nothing less than absolute control, she likewise had remarkable control of herself, seemingly always able to react to any situation at a moment's notice, never losing her composure. Even in life-threatening situations, Azula remained focused and deadly. Azula was marked by a distinct lack of empathy. Even as a child, she reacted hostility when outdone, such as shoving Ty Lee to the ground after Ty Lee had bested her in gymnastics.10 This behavior would characterize her relationship with her friends for many years. Although she could show sympathy toward them, she never cared for their feelings and manipulated them as she saw fit, such as when she threatened Ty Lee into leaving the circus and joining her cause.12 She was prone to asserting herself and her authority in a grandiose way, such as when she humiliated Long Feng in front of his former henchmen,4 or when she threatened the captain of her ship.17 She also showed a need for admiration from her father, whom she emulated to a great degree, and to a lesser extent from everyone else around her. She was shown reacting with despair and rage when she learned her father was going to the Earth Kingdom without her.8 Azula was known to have an extremely cruel personality. From a very young age, Azula demonstrated sadistic aggression and a near total lack of remorse to friends, servants, family, and animals. Her own mother, Princess Ursa, once remarked, "What is wrong with that child?" after observing her casual cruelties. Azula's first reaction to hearing of Iroh's son's death was to wonder whether this now made her father the heir to the throne. She later dismissed her uncle as a quitter and a loser when learning he had ended his six hundred day Siege of Ba Sing Se to grieve for Lu Ten.10 She eagerly watched Azulon proclaim Ozai's punishment for trying to claim the throne and grinned maliciously when Zuko was burned and scarred by their father. She also did not seem to care when her mother disappeared or when her grandfather died.13 Her cruelty was apparently infamous and extreme; when Iroh accidentally ingested the poisonous white jade flower, both he and Zuko quickly decided that they would rather go seek help from the Earth Kingdom and face certain death than deal with the Fire Nation and be handed over to Azula.18 Even in simple games, Azula thinks about nothing less than absolute victory. Azula's characteristic blue flames symbolized the power she possessed and constantly sought to increase. Her apathy also accounted for her ability to create and direct lightning, the "cold-blooded fire".17 According to Iroh, the skill required complete control of all emotion, which would not prove difficult for Azula with her one-track mentality.19 Because of these skills, she was also an excellent tactician, regularly displaying cunning, perception, and resourcefulness that allowed her to take advantage of almost any situation. She possessed good self-control, facing down Long Feng and deceiving him when held captive,4 and could lie with a straight face and no physical reactions.5 Ironically, for all her refinement and self-confidence, Azula did retain some insecurity. As a result of her sequestered life of royalty, she had developed a considerable amount of social ineptitude, particularly in her uncertainty of how to act around boys, and she frequently intimidated them during conversation. Her overly competitive nature surfaced during a kuai ball game, and she later admitted her jealousy over how much attention Ty Lee received from others.6 Later, Azula began to show signs of a fragile mentality. For all of her self-assurance, she was momentarily driven into rage when Mai betrayed her by helping Zuko to escape, and admitted to loving him more than she feared Azula. As Azula moved to strike her down, she was in turn temporarily paralyzed by Ty Lee. The enraged princess then ordered both her former friends to be locked away and "left to rot".5 While it was apparent that Azula held herself in high regard above her friends, their sudden betrayal drove her to the edge for an instant, hinting at just how unstable she would later prove to be.7 For a fleeting moment, Azula opens up and unveils pain and resentment behind her cold-blooded appearance. Psychosis Edit Azula's mentality continued to crumble in the final weeks of the War. When she attacked Zuko and the gang at the Western Air Temple, Azula was evidently losing her sanity, as her attacks became far more vicious and she was shown to be obsessed with killing Zuko.20 The obvious tipping point occurred during her father's coronation as the Phoenix King, where Azula was told she would not assist in the attack on the Earth Kingdom. Azula seemed distraught at this and took this decision as an offense to her and her honor.8 For her, Ozai always represented absolute power and perfection, qualities which she desired to acquire. His refusal to bring her along on a mission where the two of them would serve essentially as equals made her realize that her lust for power not only frightened her enemies, but perhaps her father as well. Ozai responded by appointing Azula as the new Fire Lord to govern over the Fire Nation in his absence, temporarily satisfying her desire for power. However, she was unable to cope with the fact that the only human being who may have ever loved her was not only ashamed of her, but also still possessed power over her. Her father was the last person Azula thought she could trust, and Ozai's refusal to include her in his final conquest only served to cause Azula even more inner pain. Knowing that her father would neither submit to her will nor love her, Azula's grip on reality began to steadily plummet. Azula's flawless demeanor is shattered by the unanticipated betrayal of Mai. On the day of her coronation, Azula became excessively paranoid, banishing all of her subjects for minor or suspected offenses. When she styled her hair for the coronation, she was so frustrated by her inability to tie up her hair bun that she cut away her trademark bangs, leaving her hair a tattered mess. She then saw her mother in her mirror in an apparent hallucination. Her mother complimented her, saying that she always had beautiful hair. Azula then asked her mother why she was there, and Ursa told her that she would not miss her daughter's coronation. Azula told her not to pretend to act proud, stating that she knew her mother thought she was a monster. The hallucination of her mother then told her that she did not think that, that Azula was just confused, and that she loved her. Azula then went deeper into insanity, threw her brush at the mirror, breaking it, and broke down crying.7 This incident exposed a complex facet to Azula's persona. Although outwardly maintaining a cold and dismissive opinion of her mother,6 Ursa's banishment ultimately had a devastating impact upon Azula's fragile psyche. As Azula's sanity began slipping away from her, this inability to reconcile her perceived belief that Ursa considered her a monster with the truer (though idealized) maternal feelings of love and support that Ursa demonstrated in the hallucination created an inescapable conflict in her mind that furthered Azula's eventual mental collapse.7 Another thread of this argument explored the possibility that Azula may have harbored a guilt-ridden conscience, long suppressed or held at bay for many years by her indomitable will. Her conscience, in the form of her mother Ursa (whose love and guidance she secretly longed for but could never have) reared itself stronger than before. Ursa's gentle, motherly concerns over Azula's use of fear and cruelty as her only means of maintaining relationships with friends and family alike induced a violent mental breakdown prior to her coronation.7 Visibly unstable, Azula sees a hallucination of her mother as she begins to lose her sanity. It would also seem that in her ever increasing insanity, Azula gave into her fear of being killed. She accused her servant of purposely leaving a pit in her cherry so that she would choke. She got angry at the Dai Li when they arrived five minutes late, suggesting that in that time an assassin could sneak in, kill her, and "be on his merry way". She then suggested that the Dai Li could betray and kill her ("just like Mai and Ty Lee"), and banished them. She also began keeping her back against one of the throne's canopy poles as often as possible, probably out of fear of being attacked or killed from behind.7 It also appeared that she was not sleeping well, as she had dark circles under her eyes. Upon Lo and Li's arrival to counsel her, Azula's fear of disappointing her father was clear. Azula became so enraged when her old mentors' questioned her wishes that she momentarily forgot that they were not firebenders, and ordered them to fight an Agni Kai with each other.7 Azula showed up at her coronation impatient and with her hair still a mess. Katara and Zuko then arrived to fight her, and she constantly provoked the duo as she attacked them.7 When Katara finally defeated Azula and chained her to the ground, Azula screamed in anger and breathed fire uncontrollably, furiously struggling to break herself free, falling into complete insanity. She dragged herself along the ground helplessly, as Zuko and Katara looked on in pity and horror.9 This breakdown was the culmination of her failed relationship with her mother (and her jealousy toward Zuko for receiving more of their mother's affection6), the betrayal she suffered at the hands of Mai and Ty Lee,21 and finally, her defeat by Zuko and Katara. Azula was admitted into a mental health facility on a nearby island in the Fire Nation, where she was closely monitored and observed. A year later, a clearly mentally unstable Azula accepted the task of coaxing Ursa's whereabouts out of Ozai from Zuko, stating that not one day had gone by where she had not wondered what became of their mother.15 In return, she requested permission to join her brother on his quest and to be allowed to travel unbound and with dignity. The Fire Lord accepted and Azula was released. She had regained much of her previous demeanor, as she haughtily commanded people to cater to her needs and forcefully reacted to irritating situations.16 Abilities Edit Firebending Edit Nine-year-old Azula flaunts her prodigious firebending skills before her grandfather. Azula was one of the most skilled firebenders of her time, recognized as a prodigy by both Ozai10 and Zuko.14 The most noticeable feature of Princess Azula's bending was her ability to create her characteristic blue flames, which are much more intense than the red, orange, and yellow fire normally used by firebenders; Azula was only known to have bent normal fire during her childhood.10 Azula also used her flames in inventive ways, such as jets of flames,2021 whirling disks,12 and blades of fire. She often firebent using only two fingers, rather than with a closed fist or open hand as was commonly used by other firebenders.2 Also notable was her ability to produce a greater amount of flames than most firebenders without tiring, as she was shown to be able to maintain successive assaults for long durations of time.12 She also demonstrated the ability to condense her flames, enabling her fire to cut clean through various objects. When formed into fireballs, the flames served to be rather concussive, able to firmly pulverize objects, such as stone. Azula was able to generate powerful shields of swirling flames which could withstand the full force of four simultaneous elemental attacks (and a boomerang).22 She was even able to charge up her fire before releasing it, something she used during her fight with Aang.23 Azula was also capable of fighting off and defeating multiple Kyoshi Warriors, using both firebending and hand-to-hand techniques.24 Azula's trademark blue firebending. The depth of Azula's potential was demonstrated in her use of advanced techniques, such as creating large blasts of flame, evaporating a wave of water that Katara threw at her, using her flames to propel herself forward like a jet, and minutes later producing and guiding lightning.4 While she used her firebending less after returning home, she did demonstrate her abilities a few times, such as when she used her firebending to give extra propulsion to a kuai ball during a game, creating an explosion.6 She also used her firebending to break free of her shackles, and briefly attacked Sokka, Aang, and Toph.5 Azula engaged in a pitched battle with Zuko and Sokka, where she was still able to battle on equal footing with them despite her being outnumbered.21 In addition to creating her usual powerful fire balls, she was able to shoot her flames behind her in order to propel herself through the air onto the gondola.21 Azula was one of the most powerful firebenders of her time. Only Iroh and Ozai were clearly more powerful than she was, although Zuko was shown to be on approximately equal footing with her toward the immediate end of the War.79 Azula's firebending powers and prodigious skill allowed her to fend off many attackers with little effort, and defeat a single talented bender like Aang.4 Azula was proficient in the highly difficult technique of creating and guiding lightning, a sub-skill of firebending, and was the first character within the series to demonstrate the ability.17 She also displayed more fine control of this skill, performing minute flickers of lightning, which she used to comically disarm Sokka of his boomerang. Azula's enhanced firebending. As Azula gradually lost her sanity prior to the arrival of Sozin's Comet, her firebending became unfocused and wild, which combined with the Comet's empowering effects, made her all the more dangerous. However it also resulted in her becoming exhausted more easily than usual. Despite her state of mind, her attacks on Zuko and Katara during her final duel proved ferocious and destructive, and she was still able to fire lightning accurately.7 However, her mental instability still weakened her battlefield prowess, and this ultimately resulted in her defeat at the hands of Katara. She displayed the ability to breathe fire as she struggled against her chains, but this was only brought about by her madness and rage in her defeat.9 Other skills Edit Azula makes up for her handicap with dexterity and agility to evade Aang and Toph. Azula's high level skill in unarmed combat was displayed several times during the series. She easily avoided Zuko's frenzied knife attacks without the use of firebending, guiding his hands off course.17 Later, she proceeded to disarm Suki, and knocked her off her feet without bending.24 She also had some skill with hidden weaponry, as she was shown with the intent of using them during the eclipse.5 Her acrobatics and use of a hidden shuriken knife were apparently skills she picked up from Ty Lee and Mai, respectively. Azula was very agile: she had been shown to run up walls and do mid-air twirls. She dodged Aang and Toph's bending attacks with little to no effort using high jumps like Ty Lee, ultimately making Aang admit she was too fast to hit.5 Her physical strength was also adept as she could perform a planche, supporting her body in a horizontal position just by using her arms, with little effort.2021 Azula had been shown to be an extremely cunning strategist. She was also a highly studious girl. Since childhood, she was well-versed in her nation's military history as she successfully recounting Fire Lord Sozin's strategy in an old battle.10 She planned a trap for Iroh and Zuko, which was only accidentally foiled by the captain of her ship.17 She immediately discerned the Avatar's plan to mislead her with a false trail.22 She also displayed incredible fighting prowess in learning the fighting styles of her foes, such as the sweeping wind kick ability displayed by Aang against her during the Battle of the Drill. She imitated it in the form of a sweeping fire kick during her battle with the Kyoshi warriors tending to Appa, utilizing that move to end her battle with Suki. With the Kyoshi warriors finally captured, Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai used their robes, stealing their identities to freely enter Ba Sing Se and the Earth King's palace, beginning her coup against the Earth King. This coup was single-handedly orchestrated by her, winning Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation.34 During the Day of Black Sun, she laid a trap for Aang and his friends using Dai Li agents in the Fire Lord's throne room, ensuring that the eclipse time would be used up.5 She also displayed the ability to be so extremely capable of lying effectively that even Toph could not sense it regardless of how blatant the lie was, showing that Azula did not feel remorse for lying or many of her other actions.5 She also displayed an ability to realize whether or not someone was telling the truth, stating simply that she was a "people person".21 Azula's intelligence made her very skillful in manipulating people. She had used this skill on many subjects, including her brother Zuko,4 her mother Ursa,10 Long Feng,34 the Dai Li,34 Sokka,5 and even her father to an extent. Relationships Edit Main article: Azula's relationships Relatives Edit Main article: Fire Nation Royal Family Sozin Roku Ta Min Azulon Ilah Unknown Iroh Ozai Ursa Lu Ten Unknown Zuko Azula Unknown Iroh Appearances Edit Avatar: The Last Airbender Book One: Water (水) 112. "The Storm" (flashback, no lines) 120. "The Siege of the North, Part 2" (no lines) Book Two: Earth (土) 201. "The Avatar State" 203. "Return to Omashu" 207. "Zuko Alone" (flashback) 208. "The Chase" 213. "The Drill" 216. "Appa's Lost Days" 218. "The Earth King" 219. "The Guru" 220. "The Crossroads of Destiny" Book Three: Fire (火) 301. "The Awakening" 302. "The Headband" 305. "The Beach" 306. "The Avatar and the Fire Lord" 309. "Nightmares and Daydreams" 311. "The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse" 315. "The Boiling Rock, Part 2" 316. "The Southern Raiders" 318. "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King" 320. "Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno" 321. "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang" Avatar Comics Book Two: Earth (土) "Going Home Again" Book Three: Fire (火) "Ember Island Arcade" The Promise trilogy The Promise Part 2 (flashback, no lines) The Promise Part 3 The Search trilogy The Search Part 1 Trivia Edit Avatar Wiki has 120 images related to Azula. Azula in the opening credits. Azula was the shadowed firebender in the orignal series' opening credits. When Ozai crowned himself Phoenix King, he deemed Azula as his replacement; however, she was never formally crowned, and never actually became Fire Lord. However, if she had been crowned, she would have been the first known female Fire Lord. Despite being younger than her brother, Azula sometimes referred to Zuko as "Little Zuzu" and "Little Brother". Azula was the first known firebender to generate lightning. Azula is also only the second person to be able to lie to Toph without her being able to sense it. Forms of the word azul appear in several languages, including Spanish, Filipino, Galician, and Portuguese, all having the meaning of blue. The fact that Azula's name is so similar is a possible reference to her characteristic blue flames. However, before it had been decided that she would be a girl, Azula's character was drafted as a boy named Zula, so this could just be coincidence. Her name may also come from the Sanskrit word Asura, a Hindu term for demon. In Japanese mythology, blue flames are associated with kitsune, fox demons who are infamous for using their magical "fox-fire" for trickery, deceit, and overall malicious behavior. During Iroh's flashback in "The Storm", Azula could briefly be seen within the audience observing the Agni Kai in which Prince Zuko received his facial scar from his father. As Iroh narrated, he looked away when his nephew was burned, but at Iroh's sides were the then Captain Zhao and a then unknown girl who both looked on eagerly. Online speculation on who she was erupted as soon as the episode aired, and her identity was revealed a month later at the 2005 San Diego Comic-Con. Azula's voice actress, Grey DeLisle, once stated in an interview that Azula is her favorite character of all those she has voiced. DeLisle also voiced Kya (Katara and Sokka's mother), Ta Min (Roku's wife as well as Zuko's and Azula's great grandmother), the Ember Island Players actress Katara, a banished servant, and the Dark Spirit. She was the only known person to be able to create blue fire. Azula displays all of the required symptoms of sociopathy, a mental disorder that primarily drives a person to use and abuse those around them. Azula was nicknamed Crazula by part of the fandom after she went insane following her defeat at the end of the series. Also, due to the release of The Dark Knight the same week of the finale, the fandom also nicknamed her Jozula because of how her insanity fit well with Heath Ledger's character, Joker. It was so popular that pictures of Azula in Joker make-up sprouted up. If Katara had not managed to revive Aang with the Spirit Water, Azula would have been the first and only person to have broken the Avatar Cycle.4 Azula was one of the few characters to have theme music that played when she entered a scene. It is strange that although Azula was a prodigy in firebending, her masters Lo and Li were not firebenders at all. Azula said Sokka's name while taunting him in the Day of Black Sun. This was the only time she ever said the name of a member of Team Avatar out loud, apart from her brother Zuko. Azula was only known to apologize to one person - Ty Lee after she hurt her feelings.6 Azula remarked to the Earth King that "It's terrible when you can't trust the people who are closest to you",3 which seemed to be a foreshadowing to Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal.21 Although an usurper and never officially crowned, Azula is the only known Earth Queen and the only known ruler of the Earth Kingdom without such heritage. Azula was originally supposed to have an arranged marriage in Book Three, but the idea was scrapped.25 Azula's last line of the series was "There you are, filthy peasant!" Azula was the only named female firebender seen in the series, with the exception of the female Avatars. Iroh told Zuko that because of his parentage he was constantly at war with himself. Because Azula has the same ancestry, this may have contributed to her descent into madness. The reason Azula could freely generate lightning during her mental lapse is unknown. In contrast, Iroh had stated Zuko's inner turmoil blocked him from being able to do the same. In Zuko's Story, it was revealed that it was Azula who acquired the ship for Zuko. As the comic takes place in the movie canon and not the show's, this is ambiguously canon. Azula was born in the Year of the Snake, which seems to suit her personality very well. Those born in the Year of the Snake tend to be "graceful, intelligent, vain, analytical, scheming, and vicious." Azula's character closely resembles that of Asuka Langley Soryu from the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Both start out as intelligent, strong, capable and (somewhat) cruel characters with high combat skills and a drive for perfection; however, as the series goes on and they meet multiple failures and upstages, mainly in the form of male counterparts (Azula's brother Zuko, and Asuka's fellow pilot Shinji Ikari) and their self-confidence is undermined and they slowly spiral into a severe mental breakdowns. They both also have severe issues with abandonment by their mothers, which heavily contribute to their mental breakdowns. Azula's firebending contains elements from the chāquán system.26 Azula's voice actress, Grey DeLisle, also voiced Kimiko from Xiaolin Showdown who similarly manipulated the element of fire. Azula and Amon have many similar traits. Both were described as bending prodigies who were born to borderline abusive fathers as well as being trained by non-benders. Azula was trained by Lo and Li while Amon was trained by Yakone, a former bender who had his bending taken away by Avatar Aang. Azula and Amon both eventually believed themselves to be betrayed by their fathers and allies. The intelligence of both characters is demonstrated by their political prowess. Azula and Amon both tried to defeat an Avatar, Aang and Korra respectively. Each character demonstrated a rare bending ability; Amon was capable of bloodbending and Azula was able to generate lightning and blue flames. Azula and Amon tried to take down the most important political cities of their time, Ba Sing Se and Republic City respectively. Both characters fought their only sibling. Lastly, both of them were forced to relinquish their power after being defeated. Azula will make a return in a Dark Horse Comics Trilogy The Search but not as the unstable woman at the end of the original series. According to Dark Horse Comics' Gene Yang: "In The Search, we'll see what a prolonged stay in a Fire Nation mental institution does to a person." Azula was originally going to wear armor with a heavy phoenix theme, but the idea was scrapped.27 Preceded by Zuko Heir to the Fire Lord 98 - 100 ASC Succeeded by Zuko's daughter Preceded by 52nd Earth King Earth Queen1 Late spring 100 ASC Succeeded by Interregnum until the return of Earth King Kuei in summer 100 ASC2 Preceded by Long Feng Head of the Dai Li 100 ASC Succeeded by Unnamed Dai Li representative Notes Edit ↑ Avatar Extras for "The Crossroads of Destiny" on Nicktoons Network refers to Azula as "Earth Queen Azula", meaning that she reigned in the nation as ruler beginning from Long Feng's second incarceration and likely until she left Ba Sing Se. However, Azula was never offically crowned, and thus she can only be considered as usurper. ↑ After Azula left Ba Sing Se, the throne of the Earth King became vacant, while Joo Dee was appointed the de-jure ruler of Ba Sing Se as "Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator" and Fire Lord Ozai became the de-facto ruler of the Earth Kingdom. However, Earth King Kuei eventually returned to his rightful position in summer 100 ASC, ending the interregnum. References Edit ↑ EXCLUSIVE: Yang Continues "Avatar: The Last Airbender" in The Search. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved on June 25, 2012. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Throughout Avatar: The Last Airbender. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "The Guru". Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (writers) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. December 1, 2006. No. 19, Book Two: Earth ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 "The Crossroads of Destiny". Aaron Ehasz (writer) & Michael Dante DiMartino (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. December 1, 2006. No. 20, Book Two: Earth ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 "The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse". Aaron Ehasz (writer) & Joaquim Dos Santos (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. November 30, 2007. No. 11, Book Three: Fire ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "The Beach". Katie Mattila (writer) & Joaquim Dos Santos (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. October 19, 2007. No. 5, Book Three: Fire ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 "Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno". Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (writers) & Joaquim Dos Santos (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. July 19, 2008. No. 20, Book Three: Fire ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King". Michael Dante DiMartino (writer) & Ethan Spaulding (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. July 19, 2008. No. 18, Book Three: Fire ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang". Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (writers) & Joaquim Dos Santos (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. July 19, 2008. No. 21, Book Three: Fire ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 10.9 "Zuko Alone". Elizabeth Welch Ehasz (writer) & Lauren MacMullan (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. May 12, 2006. No. 7, Book Two: Earth ↑ 11.0 11.1 From older Avatar: The Last Airbender official site, originally on Nick.com (link). No longer updated. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "Return to Omashu". Elizabeth Welch Ehasz (writer) & Ethan Spaulding (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. April 7, 2006. No. 3, Book Two: Earth ↑ 13.0 13.1 "The Storm". Aaron Ehasz (writer) & Lauren MacMullan (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. June 3, 2005. No. 12, Book One: Water ↑ 14.0 14.1 "The Siege of the North, Part 2". Aaron Ehasz (writer) & Dave Filoni (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. December 2, 2005. No. 20, Book One: Water ↑ 15.0 15.1 Gene Yang (w), Gurihiru (a). The Promise Part 3 (September 26, 2012), Dark Horse Comics ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Avatar: The Last Airbender" Is Searching For Answers. Buzzfeed. Retrieved on December 23, 2012. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 "The Avatar State". Aaron Ehasz, Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Tim Hedrick, John O'Bryan (writers) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. March 17, 2006. No. 1, Book Two: Earth ↑ "The Cave of Two Lovers". Joshua Hamilton (writer) & Lauren MacMullan (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. March 24, 2006. No. 2, Book Two: Earth ↑ "Bitter Work". Aaron Ehasz (writer) & Ethan Spaulding (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. June 2, 2006. No. 9, Book Two: Earth ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 "The Southern Raiders". Elizabeth Welch Ehasz (writer) & Joaquim Dos Santos (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. July 17, 2008. No. 16, Book Three: Fire ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 "The Boiling Rock, Part 2". Joshua Hamilton (writer) & Ethan Spaulding (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. July 16, 2008. No. 15, Book Three: Fire ↑ 22.0 22.1 "The Chase". Joshua Hamilton (writer) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. May 26, 2006. No. 8, Book Two: Earth ↑ "The Drill". Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (writers) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. September 15, 2006. No. 13, Book Two: Earth ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Appa's Lost Days". Elizabeth Welch Ehasz (writer) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. October 13, 2006. No. 16, Book Two: Earth ↑ An Avatar Spring Break with Mike and Bryan (part 2 of 3). avatarspirit.net (2007-04-06). ↑ Kisu on The Legend of Korra. Retrieved on June 3, 2012. ↑ Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Art of the Animated Series page 87. Start a Discussion Discussions about Azula You can find discussions about everything related to this wiki on Avatar Wiki Forum! 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